"Good morning, darling. I made you a little pick me up drink...don't worry, it's just fruit in there"
"Good morning, Jeremy and thank you, that's kind. How are you feeling today?"
Jeremy thought for a moment before answering. "Do you know, I feel absolutely fine: The best I've felt in weeks."
"The wedding was lovely, don't you think?" asked Barbara, testing the waters as to how Jeremy felt about it now. In the run up to the wedding he was grumpy, angry at Suzy for some reason and almost didn't attend it, so upset by it all.
"Oh yes, I had a good time. And I could see you did as well. Funny to think I didn't want to go and you had to practically drag me there!" he said with a little chuckle before looking off into the distance for a moment, as if he was trying to recollect some lost thought.
"Anyway..." he said, breaking from his train of thought. "...breakfast: I'm famished. Shall I wait until you get dressed?" he asked.
"No, I'm starving too. Eat first, then I'll get dressed."
"You know I could whip that towel from around you in one flick and it would be naked breakfast!"
"You! You're a tiger at times Jeremy Saint" she replied, flirtatiously chiding him.
After breakfast, Jeremy took a shower and Barbara got dressed. She was relieved that Jeremy seemed more like his old self and less of the obsessive grump with irrational hatreds that he had become recently. Maybe the wedding did have a positive effect on his mind...and if Action's hunch was correct, he may have been brainwashed. It was also good that Jeremy was still aroused by Barbara; she was worried that he was starting to become infatuated with Nancy Landgraab as well. Whilst he was still in the bathroom, she quickly took down the framed photo of Nancy off the wall in their bedroom and put it in the study instead. To throw it in the trash would risk triggering him again; moving it was more subtle.
Jeremy left for work soon afterwards but Barbara wasn't opening up the shop today as there was a delay in restocking items and the suppliers were a day late. Instead she decided to do a variety of things, first of which was trying to meet with John Action to tell him what she had found out about Jeremy's workplace.
She knocked at the door but there was no answer. He must be doing an early shift today, she thought. There was so much she wanted to pass on to him and she was anxious to do so but it would have to wait until this evening, at least.
She was too buzzing with energy to go home and potter around the house. The best way to use that energy was go to Movers n' Shakers gym for a couple of hours.
Barbara was hoping Action was here as well, as he was fond of keeping fit, but although the place was buzzing and full of people, he wasn't there.
The resident body building expert...Barbara didn't know his name...was there with his extremely developed upper body that seemed to defy gravity. Also present was Brent Hecking. Barbara noticed that a pretty blonde with a curvaceous figure was talking flirtatiously with both Brent and the personal trainer. What Barbara found interesting was that Brent seemed to be paying more than polite attention to her!
It was an open secret in the community that Brent was a homosexual and that he and his lover, Brant, were one of the most devoted couples around but Barbara saw Brent was somewhat enchanted with this woman, who was new to the gym.
"Wow, this place certainly has all the right...equipment" said the woman, looking more at the men instead of the apparatus.
"Oh yes, whatever you require is right here" said Brent, quite innocently.
"I can see that might be the case..." said the woman, looking him up and down. "My name is Lisa, Lisa Richardson, and who might I be addressing?"
"Brent Hecking...and I'd be happy to show you around the place. I don't work here but I'm around most days. If you'd like I could show you the bench press..."
"I bet you could" she replied, flirtatiously.
Brent giggled nervously and seemed quite taken with Lisa, which surprised Barbara. However, Brent's apparent infatuation was broken by the arrival of his boyfriend, Brant.
"Hello Brent. Who's your new friend?" asked Brant.
"This is Lisa, she's new to the gym and I was just showing her around" replied Brent, defensively.
"I bet you were. Nice to meet you, Lisa, and I'm Brant...Brent's particular friend" said Brant, with a touch of passive-aggressive hostility to his voice. Lisa looked at the two men but said nothing for a few seconds before she said "Ohhhhh".
"Yeah, I think you understand the situation now" said Brant. Lisa took a few paces back and sat down at a weight lifting machine, keen to avoid a domestic row.
Barbara had witnessed all this but didn't say anything. She did however see Travis Scott and went over to say hello to him. They chatted for a bit, mainly about how happier Jeremy seemed lately, but their attention was drawn to a familiar acquaintance of theirs who looked very different from the last time they'd seen her.
It was Eliza Pancakes and her belly looked a lot larger than when they'd seen her at the wedding.
"Hey, Eliza, come to work off those pounds..." said Travis but Barbara nudged him in the ribs.
"So, how far in to your pregnancy are you?" asked Barbara.
"Ohhhhh, you're pregnant!" said Travis.
"Not that long but I can tell this one's going to be a whopper by the size of it!" answered Eliza.
"That's why you weren't drinking at the wedding!" said Travis.
"Congratulations, Eliza" said Barbara, giving her a hug.
"No...got to stay healthy for the next few months at least" joked Eliza. "Only a light work out today"
"What does Bob think?" asked Barbara.
"He's.....fine" said Eliza with a smile. "He's getting used to the idea"
"Well, we've had a marriage in the neighbourhood and now a birth!" said Barbara.
"That just leaves a death" said Travis. "Sorry...shouldn't have said that!" he added.
Fortunately Travis didn't put his foot in it any further and they were able to discuss due dates, baby names and whether it would be a boy or a girl. However, time was ticking on and Barbara wanted to travel more.
The next port of call was actually a port, or more like a marina. She was down at her new favourite tavern, the Salty Paws Saloon in Brindleton Bay. She liked the views out into the bay, the rustic atmosphere and decor, a lot of the patrons and it was a hang out for a lot of cute neighbourhood cats. She was wondering if she was going to see her favourite, ginger stray: The Senator.
Senator didn't make an appearance and the only person Barbara met there that she recognised was Julia's aunt Elle.
"Oh hello there..." said Barbara to Elle. "You're Julia's aunt, aren't you? I don't know if you remember me but I'm Bar..."
"Yeah, I remember you!" said Elle in a hostile tone. "One of my niece's so-called friends. Well, she hasn't checked in on me for ages! She's forgotten about me! Doesn't care!"
"Oh I know she does care...it's just she's a junior doctor who works long shifts!"
"I KNOW SHE'S A DOCTOR! You don't have to tell me what or who my niece is! I'm family!"
Julia had told Barbara that her aunt suffered from violent mood swings and was on strong medication. Barbara figured Elle must have skipped a dose today. Despite the attempt to be friendly, Barbara thought that the prudent course now was to leave the tavern and head home...
She arrived back at Foundry Cove moments before Jeremy. He seemed in a happy mood.
"Hey, sweetie" he said. "It's the Spice Festival tonight...we haven't been in ages! C'mon, you and me and all the curry we could eat?"
"That sounds delightful...so you haven't got any assignments, projects or late night business calls you have to take?"
"Tonight, my darling, work is done and I am completely at your disposal" he said, putting his arms around her.
"Well I like that idea, let's go!" she replied.
The Spice Quarter was decked out in colourful festive decorations representing India, Thailand, China, Japan, Singapore and even closer to home with Cajun. Along with the decorations there was the aroma of many exotic dishes. Jeremy looked around, took in the sights and then looked at Barbara.
"This takes me back..." he said. "...to when we met."
She smiled...she remembered that evening too and how nervous and awkward he was around her. She remembered Travis egging him on to talk to her. "We met in the bar there...and got talking over there." she said, pointing to the two different locations.
"I didn't exactly distinguish myself that night" he said.
"You did just enough to leave a positive impression" she said, holding his hand. "Shall we go and get something to drink first or get some food?"
"Let's have that drink" he said.
Inside the Waterside Warble they ordered drinks and managed to get a seat on the really comfortable sofa, which wasn't always easy as it was usually in demand on most evenings.
"Ahhh, this is nice" said Jeremy. "I have very fond memories of this place"
"Same here. We met here and right over there was when you kissed me for the first time!" said Barbara.
"Oh yes, gosh...I completely acted on impulse at that moment! I was half expecting you to slap me for being that bold"
"On the contrary, it was romantic. You seized the moment. I was half wondering whether you would kiss me that night or not!"
"Here's to seizing the moment!" he said, raising his glass in cheer.
"To seizing the moment! Speaking of which...how about a sing-along?" she said, jerking her head in the direction of one of the karaoke rooms.
"You're on!"
"Hey! You go, Jeremy! Woo!" Barbara clapped and cheered Jeremy's full on rendition of a Tom Jones number. "I never knew you could get raunchy!"
"I've been saving this one up for some time. HUH! Yeah, chills n' fever!"
"Bravo! Do you know some women throw their panties at Tom Jones when he performs?"
"Don't you dare! Barbara! No! What if someone walks in on us? No, put them back on! This is...you're putting me off! I've lost my place! Don't...DON'T!"
But she was feeling mischievous and her panties flew across the little room at Jeremy. He managed to catch them with one hand.
"Nice catch...maybe the Dodgers will sign you" she said with a giggle.
"Put them back on!" Jeremy pleaded.
"Oh alright, spoilsport!" she joked.
After the sing song they went to check out the spice festival itself. Bakko Jang was there, performing, as he was the regular act for the festival. His career was on the rise and getting more gigs in the city.
The evening was going very well for them. It brought back a lot of happy memories of their first meeting, first date and first time they kissed. The story of Jeremy and Barbara began right here. Bakko might have been playing that night as well!
They walked about the festival, arm in arm; the place was in full swing. Barbara paused and turned to look Jeremy deep in his eyes.
"So here we are now" she said, holding his hands.
"Indeed we are. It's been wonderful." he replied.
"Just tonight?" she asked.
"And all the times before right back to that first evening we met." he said, softly.
"And going forwards?"
"Whatever we want it to be" Jeremy replied, stroking her hands. "I don't see an end"
He was on the verge of dropping to one knee and proposing to her, but he held back. No, not tonight but soon...very soon...he would ask her to be his wife. She just looked lovingly into his eyes...no words needed to be said. She knew as well that he would ask her to marry him, she just had to trust the process and be patient a little while longer. But she also wanted him free from whatever grip the Landgraabs had on him.
They headed home soon afterwards. Jeremy opened the front door but Barbara stood outside on the sidewalk.
"I'm going straight to bed...are you coming too?" he asked.
"I remembered I had to tell Action something...I'll be along shortly" she replied.
She headed over to Action's house next door, hoping that he would be in. She had to tell him what little information she had about what happened to Jeremy on the day he was hired by the Landgraab Corporation. Knocking on the door she was nervous: At sneaking behind Jeremy's back, at trying to tell Action what she knew and what the implications of that were.
She knocked then a few seconds later there was a rattling of the door chain and Action peeped out of the crack in the door.
"Barbara! How's it hanging, babe?" he said, smiling.
"Action...I have something to tell you. Something that may be important!"
"Better come in, girl"
"So what ya got for me?" asked Action, sitting down at his small dining table. Barbara sat down opposite him.
"Well, I think Jeremy's feeling a lot better...since the wedding to be exact. He seems calmer, happier and less angry at people"
"That's good to hear."
"But I asked him about what went on at his work and he let out a little detail...it might not be much but it's all I could get out of him"
"Go on..."
"Jeremy spoke of this room he had to go to. It's downstairs, right below the Landgraab building. He said there's this dark room underneath the pumps. You access it via an elevator, he said. I couldn't find out what happened in that room or what it's for because he started to babble about Nancy Landgraab...still calling her 'mother' and Suzy being his enemy."
"OK, well, that's definitely a lead to follow up...find that room and you find out what happened to him in there. Babs, you did good...real good. You look after him; I've got some snooping around to do!"
